One with the Wood
by Ware-Yami-Tote
Summary: Alina, an 18 year old girl living on the banks of Phon lives a normal life with her hunter friends. but one day, they want to go to Salika, a dangerous forest filled with strange beasts. She find out more about herself than she knew before.


Final Fantasy 12.

Ondore House, Buejerba.

"What seems to be the problem?" Marquis Ondore rushed passed a group of maids that ran the mansion on the floating land. He was the Governor of the land, and any crisis right now was unneeded at the moment, "Move aside!" He demanded. The maids moved out of his way. Cora, the head maid held a bundle, it was moving and squirming. "What is this Cora?" he demanded.

"Sir Ondore!" she cried, "It fell from the sky! There was a light! I was out in the gardens trimming the roses when the light came, it knocked me over it was so fierce. This is a child of the heavens!" She clung to the bundle, tears fell from her pale eyes, "I asked the gods for a child, and they gave me one!"

This was woman was crazy, there was no way that the gods gave her a child. Ondore rolled his eyes at the thought, "Let me see it Cora." She clung to the squirming bundle even tighter, "That's an order." He hated using his title, but this was necessary. She gave in and raised it into the air so it was visible.

A black eyed child with dark hair to match, and a mark on the top of its forehead was a symbol of the stars, writing in king Wraithwalls tomb itself. The child looked to Ondore with wonder, at its new life, "Give it to me." Ondore sighed.

"No," Cora cried, "Please no!"

"It could be a beast!" he roared, "I cannot allow my people to be endangered! Think of the consequences." Cora looked to the other maids for help, but they all looked down. They all thought the same thing, it was a monster. "You will have child someday Cora, but please deal with this in a mature fashion!"

Cora looked to the child, its dark eyes shined at her. Its faint smile turned to confusion. "It's a girl…" Cora sighed; she walked backwards towards the end of the parabola. "Her name is Alina Ondore." The maids looked to the master in confusion, "Maybe we will meet again…" She stepped of Buejerba, from her whole life, "My love." Her hand reached for the master, he stared at Cora with wide eyes. She jumped, because there was one thing that he couldn't give her. A real life with him and a child. It was his fault. She was gone.

Phon Coast.

18 years later.

"Mother!" I laughed playfully, "What is it that you are doing?" I splashed in the waves of the beach. My mother looked at me with the stone in her hand.

"It's your birthday," she laughed, "that means that I have hit you with 18 stones!"

"That isn't in the job description!" I ran up the dunes of sand, and a tired looking Bangaa approached my mother.

"I have never seen that man," she tried to send him away; he was showing her a piece of paper with a picture of a man on it, he had short hair and many ear piercings. He was quite handsome "There are many sky pirates in this camp looking for adventure, ask them." She looked annoyed.

"Who was that, mother?" I plopped down in the sand.

"Another bounty hunter looking for money," she sighed. "It seems they keep coming more and more frequently these days. Says he was looking for one named Balthier. Good luck finding him here."

"Why is that?" I picked up some sand and watched it fall from my hand, "It seems there are lots of finds around here. The war is sending all sorts of people here."

"Well just try to stay away from strange people," we started to walk back towards the eastern part of the village, "That Bagamnan has a price on his head too. Stok and the people of the rare hunt club are okay."

"You're so over protective mother…" I shook my head, she was still under the impression that I was twelve, "On that note, Stok , Blok, and Atok, want to take me on a trip to the Salikawood." My mothers eyes bulged from her head, "They'll do all the fighting…"

"I'll think about it," my mother stopped and grabbed my shoulder, "Take this," she put something in my hand, "Use this if you are ever in any trouble. You're growing up now, and I won't always be around to guide you…"

"Mother, is there something wrong?" I looked to her for an answer, but she just smiled and looked away from me. "Mother…" She walked to our cabin. She was 17 when she came here, and she managed to make a life out of nothing. The master of the rare hunters club took us in. She held so much in.

"Alina," I jumped and turned around, and there stood the Bangaas, all holding equipment, "Are you ready to go? We have to open that new route before the people of Clan Centurio get there." Clan Centurio did not get along with the rare hunters at all. They were always righting. I was amazed to hear the master had allowed one from there to join. He was a good fighter though.

"Yea…" I wasn't sure if I was ready for this, "Just let me go grab my bow."

"Keep in mind miss," Atok told me, "These beasties aren't like the ones on the shores. Even something cute and innocent can take your soul."

"I know Atok, you don't have to worry." I smiled at him, and ran to the side of the house. As always there was my bow. I had to hide it from mother, she was so afraid that I would run away and join a clan.

She was crazy, my home is Phon.

"That's quite a big bow you've got there." I glanced up, it was the man in the poster that Bagamnan was looking for, "Do you want some help with that?" I almost dropped my quiver of arrows. A dark skinned Viera followed close behind him.

"Balthier," she sighed, her voice was soft like all Viera, "We do not have much time. We must get to the Strahl. I heard whispers of Bagamnan. Your philandering will cause us much trouble."

"Yes Fran," he shook his head, "We can stop to help this girl, right? Those look pretty heavy."

"I can handle it," I strapped the bag around my shoulder, "I'm going hunting with some of my friends. If you want some help out of here, you can talk to the moogle up on the hill," I pointed eastward, "I have to go before my mother sees me."

"We know where we are going," the Viera looked at me cautious eyes, "thank you though."

"Sure…" I started off, but a hand restricted me, the Viera wasn't finished. "What is it?" her amber eyes burned into me.

"Are you a child of the wood?"

"What's the wood?" this woman was beginning to scare me slightly.

"Please proceed," she released me, "I apologize." She looked to Balthier, then back at me, "May we be seeing each other again soon."

I pushed aside her actions and trudged up the dunes, Atok had a new weapon in his hand, "Here missy," he threw it at me; I barely caught it "A new bow from the outfitters." The bow was polished like fine stone, and the carvings were intricate in the shapes of the zodiac.

"It's a Sagittarius bow!" I stared in awe at the shine of it, "This is much too expensive! I can't accept this!"

They rolled their eyes, "Of course you can lass," Blok had a smirk, he expected my reaction, "We worked hard to get this for you, and if you don't we'll be awfully upset. It's much more reliable than your old Loxley. Happy birthday lass."

I felt teary, I wanted cry it was so nice of them. Blok grabbed my old bow and snapped in two, "Thank you guys so much! Let's get hunting!"


End file.
